Just Neopolitan
by Nushka1
Summary: Roman is dead, that's a fact. Neo has to accept this and decide where to go from there. One-Shot.


She couldn't bring herself to shed tears.

Her heart was broken, yes. He left a hole in her soul which would remain forever; a piece lost and never to be found again. Her hands were still shaking, even after hours had passed since she searched the wreckage for any sign of him, only to find nothing but his grey scarf and black bowler.

And now she was sitting in their hideout – an abandoned factory building in the outskirts of the Vale's industrial district – alone, as the city was trying to comprehend what had happened, trying to find survivors in the carnage – just as she did. They'd come up empty-handed just as she did.

Sitting on her bed and putting the bowler on her head, she clutched the scarf tightly in her hands. Her eyes were roaming through her dark room and her ears were straining for Roman's voice calling for her. Her lips twitched, just barely, into a humourless smile.

Here she was, Roman Torchwick's loyal, mysterious and deadly henchwoman – Neopolitan, a name which brought up dread in the hearts of many – clinging onto a desperate hope that the single one person she held the barest of affections for would miraculously return from the dead. She knew it was foolish and Roman would first whack her over the head for it, then put his hand on her head in his own way of showing affection.

_"Why don't you stop being an idiot, Neo, and try to think of all the good times we had instead?" _he'd say.

Well, probably not like that. He'd just say '_Why don't you stop being an idiot, Neo?' _and be done with it.

The point still stood, though. She had to accept – _she had to _– that she was back to square one in her life. No more hijinks with Roman, no more gentleman thievery.

Without him – without her boss, her only friend, the one who picked her off of Vale's dirty alleys and taught her all she knew of the Kingdom's seedy underbelly – without him, she felt like the orphaned, lonely and starving little girl again. Her ribs were clearly visible again. Her hair was tangled, ratty and grimy again. She was smelling of piss and garbage again.

Without him, she didn't know what she was supposed to do now. Without him, there was nothing and no one to guide her through her life.

A sniffle escaped her and she felt the first stray tears wander down her cheeks. She had to smile. This was the first time she was shedding any real tears over…well, anything. She had squeezed her tear ducts with all her might more than once when she was still living off scraps she found in trash cans. A couple of crocodile tears had provided her with the odd Lien out of pity.

But _this _– this was real. Real tears over the loss of someone dear to her; the _only one_ dear to her.

A silent sob rocked through her body as she lay down on her side, her head hitting the edge of her pillow and the bowler dropping onto the bed. She had gotten hit and gotten beaten. She had experienced many kinds of pain from before she even had her Aura unlocked. The pain of hunger, the pain of having her scraps stolen by others, the pain of a fist colliding with her stomach and face. The streets were cruel indeed.

But this was the worst kind of pain she had ever had the misfortune of experiencing.

No more Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan. She would be…

She would be just _Neopolitan_ now. _Just Neopolitan_.

No more of the most fashionable criminal duo of Vale. No more of the most infamous criminal duo of Vale.

_Just Neopolitan_.

What was she supposed to do as _just Neopolitan_?

What would Roman have her do?

_That_ question stilled her rampaging thoughts, the fear, confusion and loneliness in her mind. Her eyes locked onto _Hush_, her trusty parasol gifted to her by Roman, which she had left leaning against her night table.

_That _was the question which needed to be asked though, wasn't it?

He wouldn't want her to wallow in her grief like this. Oh, he would absolutely enjoy seeing just how deeply she cared for him. He was a little shit like that.

But he would get annoyed at her too. He would get annoyed at seeing someone as dangerous and deadly as her fall apart like this. And ironically, an annoyed Roman was very annoying.

Sitting back up again, she rested her elbows on her thighs and her head in her hands.

For a brief moment, she wondered how Roman had died and what exactly had happened on that ship. With or without her, he should and would have had the upper hand against Little Red regardless. She had no clue just _how _talented the little huntress in training actually was, but wielding such a huge-ass gardening tool with such proficiency gave Neo a rough idea. Still, it was clear the girl was no good at fighting against actually dangerous people who were good at fighting Grimm _and actually dangerous people_.

Little Red simply could not have defeated Roman. He was too talented a fighter to lose against someone with such little experience. Something must have caught him off guard. Something unexpected must have happened.

She needed answers. She would get answers.

And once she got those answers she would kill whoever was responsible for taking Roman from her.

A smirk, as weak as it was, formed on her lips. He would love this – his Neopolitan out to avenge him, out on a vendetta over his death. Someone had taken her family from her. She would not rest until she took everything from them.

She got up to her feet and grabbed _Hush_. Her heels were loud in the silence of their hideout as she walked to Roman's room. He hadn't been here in a while, what with being locked up in an Atlesian airship and all that. Moving aside some ugly portrait of someone she didn't know, she revealed the safe there and quickly opened it, the code easily memorized a long time ago.

Roman would approve, she was sure; their saved up and stolen money used for a good cause, namely, avenging his death. He would be happy about it.

So would she, once the hidden blade inside of _Hush _was thrust through the throat of whoever took him from her.

First, though, she needed to find Cinder. Cinder Fall was the centrepiece of everything that transpired. She would have the most crucial information.

And most importantly, _she _was the one who forced them into this. Directly or indirectly, Cinder held at least _some_ responsibility for Roman's death. If Cinder hadn't forced them into this scheme of hers, Roman and she would be merrily on their way to Mistral or wherever. He wouldn't be dead.

So, she had to find that woman, get the information she needed, then kill her. One hand held out for a shake and the other ready to strike. Just like Roman taught her.

He might be gone and she may be _just Neopolitan _now, but deep down they were still Vale's most infamous criminal duo.

_I'll find out the truth, Boss_, she thought._ Just watch. You'll enjoy the show._

* * *

**Note: **Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at writing. I've read on FFN for a good five or so years and figured I should give writing a shot. I hope you enjoy this first and, admittedly, rather short one-shot. Neo is an amazing character with lots of potential to further flesh out, considering there's still very little canon facts about her. Let me know what you think, ConCrit is always welcome!


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